Seven Days of Being Insecure
by sendmetosanfran
Summary: Red gets jealous when Liz looks at another man which makes him feel insecure about himself. Lizzington. Sequel to Seven Days in San Francisco. Can be read independently.
1. Chapter 1

Raymond Reddington did not get jealous. He didn't let base emotions affect him. And, he certainly wasn't glaring daggers at the man across the table. But, if he were, it'd be because Liz was staring at the man's mouth.

Along with not getting jealous. He also did not feel insecure about his apperance. He never worried that Liz might have wanted someone younger. He never thought that she'd be turned off from seeing the way his belly curved out ever so slightly(sometimes farther than others). So, it didn't bother him that Liz was looking at a young and attractive man who may very well have abs.

That was him lying to himself. If he were being honest, he'd admit that he was wishing this man to have a slow and painful death, preferably by Red's hand. Of course, it wouldn't hurt his feelings if Dembe did some damage first.

Red might would have felt better if he could hear Liz's thoughts. In his mind, she was plotting ways to ditch him for this Adonis. In Liz's mind, she could only think one thing. "What the hell is stuck in this guy's teeth?"

* * *

This is just a set up chapter. That means there could very well be another seven chapters instead of six. I know I haven't done that before but this one wasn't working out any other way. Sorry that this took so long. I've been super busy.


	2. Chapter 2

Red stared in the mirror at himself, turning slightly and shifting to see everything. If Liz had been watching, she would have compared this to herself when she was a teenager. The biggest difference was that she never had glared at her reflection with the intensity that he was doing.

There was so much wrong that he could see. He was bald. He was short compared to other men. There were bags under his eyes. And, how could he not notice that little paunch he had?

The baldness, he couldn't really do anything about. He couldn't exactly change his height either. If he could get a good night's rest, he might be able to get rid of the bags under his eyes. The only thing left was his stomach. There was a way to change that, but he wasn't looking forward to it.

Oh God, he was gonna have to diet. Just that word made him cringe. He'd never enjoyed them and had never bothered with them. The only reason that he'd been thin when he was younger was because of how much he exercised... maybe he could do that again, exercise just enough that he wouldn't have to give up his favorite foods.

* * *

Liz had turned around when she heard something. Even standing in the kitchen, she could hear the pained grunts. Was Red in trouble? Cautiously, she edged closer and looked around the corner. She furrowed her brow when she saw what he was doing. Raymond Reddington was doing sit ups. Why was he doing sit ups?

"What is it, sweetheart?" Red asked, stopping for a moment. Liz blinked for a second, realizing that she had been staring.

"I um... What are you doing?" She questioned. Red stood up and moved closer to her.

"I just wanted to exercise a little," He answered. There was no way that he was going to tell her the truth on this one. The fact that she didn't believe him was very evident on her face.

"... is everything okay?" She asked. Red nodded with a smile before kissing her on the cheek.

"Everything is fine, Lizzie," he said with a chuckle. He started towards the kitchen for a glass of water before turning back towards her. "Why don't we go for a jog later?" He asked and got a very good impression of a fish from her.

"A-a jog? Are you sure?" She questioned, completely flabbergasted.

"Hmm, you're right. A run would burn more calories," he responded, leaving the room before she could ask what the hell had happened to him.

* * *

"What the hell is going on with Red?" Liz questioned into the phone.

"I don't understand,"Dembe responded.

"Since when does he want to exercise?" Liz said. There was an exceedingly long pause from Dembe to the point Liz thought she may have lost the connection.

"...he wants to exercise?"

"I came in this morning and he was doing sit ups."

"That's... odd."

"Then, he mentioned going for a run."

"I couldn't get him to walk after he got shot! Did you say something?" Dembe asked. It had to be something to do with her, but what could have happened?

"No... I don't think so. What could I have said?"

"I don't know," Dembe responded. Liz was about to say something else but was interrupted by Red walking in.

"Ready, sweetheart?" Red questioned. She hung up before he could see the phone and held it behind her back.

"Um, sure," she said with a smile. Honestly, she had thought that he'd have backed out by now.

* * *

He should have backed out. This had been a horrible idea, and he never should have gone through with this. Now, he was hunched over, hands on his knees, and wheezing. Liz watched him in concern. It seemed likely that he was going to pass out soon.

"Maybe we should have started with the jog," Liz stated, putting a hand to his back and handing him the water bottle. Still wheezing, Red opened the water bottle and downed all of it. "...or maybe a walk."

"I'll be fine," he said between breathes. "Just need a minute*wheeze* to breathe."

"You look like you need an iron long."

"Haha," he said sarcastically before standing up. Liz grabbed his arm when he looked like he was about to go down.

"Let's go back to the house," Liz said. Red shook his head and moved towards the track again.

"Just one more lap," he relied, face still red.

"No," Liz responded and pulled him away again. He furrowed his brow at her. "You've done plenty today."

"But-"

"I'm not letting you do more, Red!" She snapped. Red grumbled something but let her drag him along to the house. Despite his grumbling, he still leaned over and pecked her on the cheek. Maybe, he shouldn't worry so much about his apperance.


	3. Chapter 3

Oh God, everything hurt. Red groaned and shifted a little. Liz looked over when she heard the dying animal noise he made. Sitting up, She stared down at him.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm sore," he responded, groaning again.

"Then, let's go for a walk," Liz stated, patting his thigh before standing up.

"Are you inane?" He asked, shifting to look at her. From the grimace on his face, she guessed that hurt too.

"It'll work the soreness out," Liz said. Red grunted as he buried his face back into his pillow.

"I don't even want to move," he muttered just loud enough for her to hear.

"You were all for exercising yesterday."

"Today's a new day."

"You're such a baby sometimes," Liz said before walking towards the door. Red sighed and looked up. He couldn't let her keep thinking that, could he?

"Alright, I'll get up," He groaned and shifted. Liz turned around with her arms crossed. Red was sitting on the edge of the bed preparing to stand up. He grunted as he pushed himself upwards. Unfortunately, his arms couldn't get him up. Falling back on the bed, he groaned in annoyance and a little pain. A second attempt ended in the same result. Sighing, he looked up to Liz.

"Help me?" He asked quietly as if he didn't want her to hear him. Liz held out her hand for him and watched as he hesitantly took it. Why did he have such a hard time asking for help? Liz pulled him to his feet and had keep him from falling for a second. How sore was he?

"Maybe, we should just walk around the house," Liz stated, getting a nod from him.  
Walking was a bit of an overstatement of what they were doing. It was more like shuffling their feet. That was all Red could do, and Liz wasn't going to go faster than him. That would have just added insult to injury.

"So, why were you pushing it so much, yesterday?" Liz asked, getting a glance from him. Liz couldn't help but notice the blush on his checks. She guessed that he didn't want her to see him so sore that he could barely walk.

"... I thought that I should probably start getting in shape," Red responded.

"Why?" Liz questioned. Red sighed thinking, 'So, I can properly murder any young jack ass that you decide to leave me for.'

"I just thought you'd like me being healthy," he answered. 'By healthy, I mean thinner.'

"... isn't this kind of sudden?"

"Aren't most things about me?" Red questioned and watched as Liz tried to hold back a smile. "That's not what I meant, you pervert," he scolded which only got a smile and a chuckle from her.

* * *

Liz has unintentional made him feel better all day. She'd stayed close for the most part and had curled up with him on the sofa to watch a movie. Now, she was asleep with her head on his chest and arms wrapped around his waist. Red had one arm slung over the back of the sofa while he used his other hand to stroke Liz's hair.

He smiled blissfully as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. Maybe, he was being paranoid about all of this. For all he knew, he could be thinner than what he thought he was. A lot of people had that probably. He looked down when he felt Liz shift a little to snuggle closer into his chest.

"So soft," she muttered in her sleep. Red grimaced at that.

"Damn it."


	4. Chapter 4

It turned out that their newest safe house was down the street from a gym. Unfortunately, Liz knew what that meant. Plus, it was exceedingly difficult for her to talk Red out of anything.

"You're gonna overdo it," Liz stated as they walked into the building. Red rolled his eyes and started for one of the machines.

"I know my limits, now," Red responded.

"Sure you do," Liz said sarcastically. "Just don't expect me to drag you back to the house."

"Will you just relax?" Red asked, sounding annoyed. "I'll stop before I get too tired."

"Okay, okay," Liz relented. Red sighed and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "So, what are we doing? Treadmill?"

"Sweetheart, if I wanted to walk, I'd go outside," Red replied. "I'd much rather use the weight machines."

"... just don't pull anything."

"Lizzie, I said that I'll be fine," he said, sounding irritated again.

"Okay. Sorry for being concerned for your wellbeing," Liz snapped back. Red gave a quick look of guilt before giving her another quick peck, this time lingering a little longer.

"I'm going to use that one," he stated, pointing towards a machine that worked arms and chest. "You might like this one though," he added, gesturing to another. This one had a seat and two parts that were meant to have someone's knees pressed against.

"What does it do?" Liz questioned, eyeing it suspiciously.

"It works your thighs."

"So... you're just supposed to sit and spread your legs over and over?" Liz asked, getting a nod from him. "It sounds like slut practice," she stated. Red sighed and shook his head. "It was just joke."

"I know," he said, patting her shoulder. He started to towards his own machine but stopped. "Just as a tip though, don't make eye contact while your using that... it's awkward."

"Let me guess. You've done that before?"

"A few times," he answered honestly.

"Was it at least with a woman?"

"..."

"I'll take that as a no," Liz stated. Red blushed slightly before finally turning around.

They both started using their machines, Liz watching Red. She may have been against him pushing himself so hard, but she had to admit, he looked good doing it. The clothes he'd choosen for this showed off the way his muscles tensed perfectly. That was why she wasn't paying attention to how hard she was pushing herself. She gasped and jumped up quickly.

"Cramp!" She yelped as she moved around to help ease it. Red looked up at her in worry before snickering to himself. "It's not funny!"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but remind me what isn't funny about seeing someone with a butt cramp?" Red asked, getting a glare from her.

"Remember, Red, karma is a bitch," Liz warned.

* * *

"Here's your ice," Liz said, handing him an ice pack. Red took it and placed it on where he was in pain. Unfortunately, that place happened to be his crotch. He shifted uncomfortably with a grimace. "I still don't understand how you did this."

"I don't know. I was using the leg machine and something gave that wasn't supposed to," Red responded, obviously in pain. Liz sat down next to him and took one of his hands in her own. She lifted it and kissed the back of his hand.

"Are you feeling any better?" Liz asked.

"Honestly, no," he answered before sighing. "I think I'm getting too old for all of this."

"Because a young guy could deal with a pulled groin a lot better," Liz responded sarcastically. Red chewed on the inside of his jaw, trying to figure out if he should push this any farther. Ultimately, he decided to keep his mouth shut. Liz gave him a worried look at the pained expression on his face. She shifted closer and laid her head on his shoulder while wrapping her arms around him. "You should stop worrying."

"What else have I got to do with my time?" He asked jokingly. Liz snuggled a little.

"Well, if you hadn't gotten hurt where you did, we would have had a perfect way to pass the time."

"... I don't think I'm ever going to go back to a gym."

* * *

This one didn't end up being that funny but I still wanted to write it. Also, sorry about the wait on this. I've been at work constantly over the past couple of days.


End file.
